site.btaEducation Minister: Pre-school Education Will Become Compulsory for 4-Year Olds from 2020

Sofia, December 16 (BTA) - Pre-school education will become
compulsory for four-year old children from the 2020/2021 school
year, Education Minister Krasimir Valchev told a news briefing
at the Council of Ministers on Monday. He spoke after a meeting
of the unit which oversees a mechanism for prevention of school
dropout.

Minister Valchev said that this is stipulated in the State
Budget Act which obliges the ministry to draft amendments to the
 Pre-school and School Education Act.

The Education Minister said that in three years 49,000
additional pupils and students were enrolled in school but of
these a little over 6,000 became secondary dropouts.

Labour Minister Denitsa Sacheva said that one of the biggest
problems is a months-long campaign which aims to demonize those
who work in the public administration.

Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev said that Monday's
meeting had identified a need for secondary mobilization within
the ongoing campaign and more efforts on  field. Donchev said
that the mechanism is working successfully. NV/PP